Tuscaloosa shale's complexities a challenge in search for energy answers

11:59 PM,
Aug. 24, 2013

Written by

Ted Griggs
The Advocate

It's been three years since energy companies began leasing hundreds of thousands of acres in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, hoping to cash in on the mother lode: 7 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

But the expected economic surge that oil and gas industry members and public officials envisioned has not materialized. The formation's complexities - including a softer rock that won't easily release the oil it hoards - have been difficult to solve. And competition from other, easier-to-crack shales around the country have drawn oil companies' attention and resources.